Stupid Bucket of Bolts
by chrysanne
Summary: Pepperony100. Current Prompt: 54, React. Maybe if the visiting goodwill-ambassador hadn't insulted her in both Vietnamese and Pig Latin - as to how, Pepper still had no idea - she would have been spared that fourth martini.
1. Prompt 20 Skin

Title: Hello Beautiful  
Rating: PG (slightly adult scene)  
Theme: prompt #20, Skin  
Summary: It's the same as it is every other morning.  
Length: 275 words  
For Pepperony100.

Disclaimer: The concept is mine. I don't own Tony/Pepper/Jarvis/enough money to buy them.

**THEME 20 - SKIN**

It's the same as it is every other morning. His fingers massage along her lower back, his ministrations causing her to squirm and heave a breathy sigh before he moves north, skimming the line of her spine lightly, enjoying the thrill of her naked body lying on top of him. Fingertips dipping to caress the curve of her neck, he moves along to brush back a red-gold strand of hair from the alabaster skin of her cheek, relishing the sleepy smile on her lips as she continues to dream.

Her hair is splayed across his chest like a cascade of silken fire, and he thinks of how good it feels against his sweaty skin. His hands move slightly lower, and he grins to himself as he shifts until he is cradling her lower body between his legs before brushing lightly against the sides of her breasts - those perfectly delectable breasts that were currently pressing against his torso - causing her to sigh again, unconsciously shifting further into his lap, and the vivid blue eyes he'd come to adore slowly fluttering awake.

"Tony," she breathes, her hair a tousled red-gold halo, and he feels more complete, more whole, than he ever has in his entire life. So when Jarvis lets the mid-morning sun shine in his eyes to wake him up, droning on about weather conditions and stock figures, his wrenching sense of disappointment is understandable as he wakes up alone.

Tony squeezes his eyes shut, clutching his pillow tightly around his middle; after a brief moment, he gives in to his lonely wish.

"Pepper," he whispers, still imagining the taste of her silken skin.

_Fin._


	2. Prompt 10 White

Title: Hole in My Heart  
Rating: PG (one swear word)  
Theme: prompt # 10, White  
Summary: How was it that his entire world had become centered around one pale, skinny, amazing redhead?  
Length: 700 words  
Disclaimer: The concept is mine. I don't own Tony/Pepper/Jarvis/enough money to buy them.

**THEME 10 - WHITE**

The low, murmuring hum of well-wishing party-goers, the tinkling of champagne glasses, the sound of light music were enough to make his knuckles go white as he tightened the grip on his glass of brandy. How had he gotten to this point, he wondered. How was it that his entire world had become centered around one pale, skinny, amazing redhead?

She was Pepper, damn it. She was his _assistant_. She was his _best friend_. She was...not..._his_. Without thinking Tony took a long swig of brandy, his eyes staring bleakly at the empty sky.

He didn't think he could go a day without the scent of her kiwi-strawberry shampoo, the pleasure of their playful teasing, or even her scary - yet still highly amusing (and slightly arousing) - Death Glare. Hell, there were days when it was his mission for the day to rile the lovely, professional Ms. Potts just for that Death Glare: she never looked lovelier than when she was furious with him, her pale skin flushing delightfully. He'd often wondered how far down her blush went, had dreamed about it, even.

Staring at the amber liquid in his hand, he could admit it: Tony Stark was an addict, and Pepper Potts was his drug of choice. In fact, he'd shout it from the rooftops and spell it out in the exhaust from his Ironman suit if it would make a difference. Unfortunately, her wedding day was probably not the best time for him to realize he was in love with his best friend. But when, really, had Tony Stark ever been known to follow the cards?

He remembered how earlier - when he'd gone to complain about the asinine groomsmen he was supposed to be making small talk with - he'd caught her already dressed in her bridal gown, nervously fingering the diamond tiara he'd had made for her as she stared at her reflection. Her blue eyes had lit up when she saw him, turning around and walking toward him with a wide smile.

Tony had hardly heard her greeting as he stared at the woman in the beautiful Oleg Cassini dress that Pepper's mother had picked out on the grounds that it made Pepper's pale skin look creamy and brought out the highlights of her red hair. With a lump in his throat, he had drunk in the sight of her like a dying man would quench his thirst, realizing with a horrible sinking in his stomach how wrong he had been to push aside his feelings.

This beautiful woman who had known him for years, who had known all of his faults, who had cried with joy at his return from that hellhole so long ago - this beautiful woman was a side of Pepper he had never given a chance to flourish. And now he was expected to walk this same, beautiful woman down the aisle and watch another man snatch away his happiness.

Her voice had registered in the back of his mind, and he'd made some noncommittal noise to which she'd smiled and - too quickly for him to react - kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Tony," she'd said to him, eyes sparkling with happiness, "You'll always have me. I promise."

One of the bridesmaids had come in then, distracting Pepper, and Tony had made his escape before she could notice his bleeding heart. Later, he had held her arm in his as they walked down the aisle, he had spoken the words that would give her away, he had watched her kiss another man; now, he stood alone on a remote deck as strangers from God-knew-where wandered around his mansion for the reception, tormented by the memory of his Pepper in her beautiful wedding gown dancing with that pugnacious blond bastard.

Tony drained his glass and with a loud roar pitched it over the side, watching with vindictive glee as the tumbler shattered on the rocks below. Gripping the rail with both hands until his knuckles were white, Tony fought the burning ache in his heart, unable to contain a single choked sob. As he stared out at the empty night, the clouds parted, allowing the moon to shine through; below, the shards of glass began sparkle like iridescent stars.


	3. Prompt 54 React

Title: A Message  
Rating: PG13/T (swear words, more-than-slightly adult situation, suggestive language)  
Theme: prompt # 540, React  
Summary: Maybe if the visiting goodwill-ambassador hadn't insulted her in both Vietnamese and Pig Latin - as to how, she still had no idea - she would have been spared that fourth martini.  
Length: 7550 words  
Disclaimer: The concept is mine. I don't own Tony/Pepper/Jarvis/enough money to buy them. _sob_

**THEME 54 - REACT**

He'd been right, as usual: this year's Toys for Tots gala had been a waste of a perfectly good evening. Maybe if Mr. Cross from Accounting hadn't begun whining about the short-term costs the ongoing study of ARC technology was accruing, Pepper would have forgone her second martini. Maybe if she hadn't been propositioned by the pig of a Senator from Oregon, Pepper would have forgone her third. Maybe if the visiting goodwill-ambassador hadn't insulted her in both Vietnamese and Pig Latin - as to how, she still had no idea - she would have been spared that fourth martini.

And maybe if that Everhart bitch hadn't trapped her - between two Board members, no less - and viciously remarked on how her lovely dress was something Tony, no doubt, had decided to buy for his _personal_ assistant, in payment for services rendered behind closed doors, Pepper would have forgone both her fifth and sixth drinks.

And maybe if that damn bastard - read: Tony Stark - had not shown up tonight, when he had specifically told her it would be a waste of a perfectly good evening, and that he was sending her as his personal representative (since when had he seen her as his personal representative, anyway, even if it was something everyone _else_ already assumed) so he could stay home and tinker in the garage, Pepper would have been spared the entire evening.

As it was, the instant Pepper had seen his semi-tamed mane of hair - which he had been leaving loose, for some reason; not that she actually _preferred_ the change, in any way - and perfectly shaped goatee, she had felt her heart sink. Almost immediately a swarm of beautiful women had attached themselves to him, and Pepper had resolutely promised herself: there would be _no _repeat of The Incident (as she had taken to calling it in her mind) that had occurred at the Fireman's Benefit almost five months earlier.

Hence the reason for her early escape to the balcony, Martini Number 7 in hand. So it was quite understandable, you see, when she raised her glass to take a drink and choked when she heard his voice behind her.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Nearly swallowing her tongue along with her drink, Pepper turned around, a look of horror on her face. "M-Mr. Stark."

"Ms. Potts," he replied, a charming smile on his face.

Recovering quickly in spite her blush, Pepper offered him a tense smile and greeted him. "I hadn't thought you'd be here tonight."

"Really, and why is that?" He went to take a sip of the drink in his hand, and in a disconnected part of her brain Pepper noted that it was clear. When had he switched to vodka?

"It might have something to do with the fact that you said you - and I quote - 'wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a party that serveS piss-vinegar as alcohol and the guests gamble at chicken stakes.'"

He shrugged, moving to stand beside her at the balustrade. "Oh, I was bored, so I called you, you didn't pick up, so I had JARVIS run a search on your appointments for today. Voila, here I am, all dressed up and ready to par-tay."

Pepper smiled tightly at his lame joke, trying very hard to _not think_ about just how good he looked. "I'm sure you can count on a conquest this evening, sir." Damn it.

Tony gave her a brilliant smile, looking nothing so much as a cheeky schoolboy. Defeated, Pepper replied dully, "Just think about who it is you're taking home, sir. I have enough to do without having to handle another media debacle."

"That's why I've got you. My own personal clean-up crew," he joked before shooting her a sly look, his voice deepening into an intimate tone, "Anytime you need a hand, Potts - you know, to help release some of that pesky stress you've been under lately - you know where to find me."

That was it. That. Was. _IT._ Too many times had she watched him with other women then had to dance a complicated routine of tension and innuendo, too long had she been forced to watch from the sidelines as first he slowly drank himself to death then graduated to being shot at by bullets, missiles, tanks, and F-15s. She'd cried too many tears, dreamed too many dreams, lain awake too many nights aching for him to just let this pass by.

If he was going to backslide into the self-absorbed, irresponsible prick who had been her boss for the last nine years (she had to force herself to not think about the times he had shown himself to be a caring yet bumbling man), then he could find himself another damn assistant. Pepper Potts had had enough: she was through being Tony Stark's personal doormat!

"If you thought for even_ one minute_," she ground out, fingers tightening around the stem of her martini glass, "That I might need _your_ help to clean up _your_ messes, _Mr._ Stark, you would be _highly_ mistaken. I have _years_ of practice at cleaning up after you. In fact, I've developed a sixth sense about your _messes_, and can predict that I'll be cleaning up yet another _mess_ tomorrow morning."

The man actually had the audacity to look confused. Had it all been for nothing, then? All that time she had spent waiting for him, dreaming that one day he'd wake up and realize that The Incident had meant _something_. Turning her back to him, Pepper clenched her free hand around the balustrade, gripping it so hard her knuckles turned white.

"I will not be one of those women, _Mr._ Stark," she said evenly, her nostrils flaring, her eyes hard and bitter as they stared unseeing into the night, "I refuse to be treated as one of those women."

"One of what women?"

Feeling her resolve begin to crumble, Pepper whirled around nearly breathless with rage, her hair tumbling from its sophisticated bun as she glared at him with deadly force. He didn't even cringe: in_suff_erable man!

"Don't you dare play dumb with me, Anthony Edward Stark!" she yelled, "For once in your goddamn miserable life, you _will_ listen to me, no masks, no games, no damn iron suits for you to hide behind."

Pepper set her drink on the balustrade and thrust a finger at him, missing the fact that he had to lunge to keep the martini from falling 34 stories to the pavement below.

"You, Tony Stark, have been a pain my ass for the last nine years, where I have had to not only do _my _job of making certain that _you_ keep _your_ appointments, keeping _you_ up to date on _your_ correspondence and trying to make sure _you_ still _have_ a corporation to take an interest in, but also being _your_ _glorified babysitter_ in handling whatever public incident of the week _you've_ caused, getting rid of whatever woman _you've_ slept with as _you_ are too busy _working_ in the basement despite their awful comments, and whatever the hell else _you_ decide to inflict on _me_.

"And as if that wasn't enough, _you_ had to paint a target on your head by announcing - to the WHOLE goddamn _WORLD!_ - that you, Mr. Tony Stark, are Ironman. Do you have any idea what that did to the people who actually give a damn about you? To the people who try and try and _try _to see that you know what you're doing and not actually just being some _stupid little sh_-"

"Are you quite finished?" His voice had deepened during her tirade, its gravelly quality causing her to shoot him an astonished glance. He was staring at her, his eyes alive with...with _something_ she did not want to name...Immediately she looked down at the drink in her hand, unable to reconcile the heat of his gaze with the cool relationship she'd shared with this time-bomb of a man for the past nine years.

When his tanned, calloused hands covered hers, Pepper felt herself begin to crumble. And when he kissed her, his lips gentle and hesitant, tears hot and silent streaming down her face; her heart quaking in fear, she released the balustrade and reached for his face with both hands. Holding him to her, Pepper Potts returned Tony Stark's surprise attack with all the pent-up tension, rage, and helpless love that she felt for him. The kiss seemed to go on forever, before Tony pulled back, chest heaving and eyes bright as he stared at her, a thunderstruck expression on his face. Unable to believe it, Pepper watched that expression become one of yearning.

"That was our past, Pepper. This moment, this...second..." He shifted, grinding her against his pelvis, causing both of them to moan slightly and force her to clutch at his arm. When she could finally see again, Pepper was mesmerized by the fire in his eyes, the way they seemed to have turned black with desire. "This...is our present. And this..."

Pepper's breath caught at the glint of sparkling light held between his fingers.

"This," he continued hoarsely, his normally controlled voice thick with emotion, "This is our future. If-if you'll have me."

"Oh, Tony..."

Lightly he traced the side of her face, his fingers lingering on her swollen lips, his eyes taking in her tear-streaked face and rumpled appearance. Tony pressed his lips to her forehead, cupping her hands in his.

"You're everything to me, Pepper," he said quietly, brown eyes fixed on her so intensely that Pepper had to remember to breathe. "Everything. More than anything I could ever buy, or build, or dream. I had a look at life without you...lemme tell you, it sucked big time. Please, Pepper Potts, marry me."

Fingers trembling, Pepper reached out and took the ring from his outstretched hand. "Yes."

Yay! Something happy for my favorite couple! :D


End file.
